SPEC CPU®2017 Quick Start

$Id: quick-start.html 6309 2019-07-28 22:01:05Z JohnHenning $ Latest: www.spec.org/cpu2017/Docs/

This document provides a quick start for SPEC CPU®2017, a product of the SPEC® non-profit corporation (about SPEC).

Do you want to start here?

All users should read the rules before using results in public.

Decide which benchmark(s) to start with:   SPEC CPU 2017 includes 43 benchmarks arranged in 4 suites. You can run one or more individual benchmarks, such as 500.perlbench_r, or you can run entire suites, using one of the Short Tags below.

Short
Tag
Suite Contents Metrics How many copies?
What do Higher Scores Mean?
intspeed SPECspeed® 2017 Integer 10 integer benchmarks SPECspeed®2017_int_base
SPECspeed®2017_int_peak
SPECspeed®2017_int_energy_base
SPECspeed®2017_int_energy_peak
SPECspeed suites always run one copy of each benchmark.
Higher scores indicate that less time is needed.
fpspeed SPECspeed® 2017 Floating Point 10 floating point benchmarks SPECspeed®2017_fp_base
SPECspeed®2017_fp_peak
SPECspeed®2017_fp_energy_base
SPECspeed®2017_fp_energy_peak
intrate SPECrate® 2017 Integer 10 integer benchmarks SPECrate®2017_int_base
SPECrate®2017_int_peak
SPECrate®2017_int_energy_base
SPECrate®2017_int_energy_peak
SPECrate suites run multiple concurrent copies of each benchmark.
The tester selects how many.
Higher scores indicate more throughput (work per unit of time).
fprate SPECrate® 2017 Floating Point 13 floating point benchmarks SPECrate®2017_fp_base
SPECrate®2017_fp_peak
SPECrate®2017_fp_energy_base
SPECrate®2017_fp_energy_peak
The "Short Tag" is the canonical abbreviation for use with runcpu, where context is defined by the tools. In a published document, context may not be clear.
To avoid ambiguity in published documents, the Suite Name or the Metrics should be spelled as shown above.

Verify requirements:   (Brief summary; see detail in System Requirements)
  - 1 to 2 GB of main memory to run SPECrate (per copy); 16 GB for SPECspeed.
  - 250 GB disk space is recommended; a minimal installation needs 10 GB.
  - C, C++, and Fortran compilers (or a set of pre-compiled binaries from another CPU 2017 user).
A variety of chips and operating systems are supported.

Install it:   Mount (Unix, Windows) the ISO image, then use install.sh or install.bat. Install guides: Unix, Windows

Find a Config File: To use runcpu, you need a config file - a file that defines how to build, run, and report on the SPEC CPU benchmarks in a particular environment, including any needed PORTABILITY flags for your compilers.

  1. There are examples on your installed copy of SPEC CPU 2017. Look for an Example that matches your compiler, operating system, and hardware, in directory:

    $SPEC/config/Example*        (Unix) or
    %SPEC%\config\Example*       (Windows)
  2. Or, look for results for a system similar to yours at www.spec.org/cpu2017/results. Click the 'config' link.
  3. Or, if you are using binaries supplied by another user of CPU 2017, that person should also supply the config file.
  4. Or, write your own.

Name it:   Copy your selection to a new file in the config directory. Do not use blanks in the name. Hint: make the name something useful to *you*.

%SPEC%\config\Rahuls_first_test.cfg     
$SPEC/config/JeffWantsYetAnotherTest.Compiler.v11.beta4.cfg

Edit the label:    Look for a line like one of these:

%define label something

or

label = something

The label is an arbitrary tag added to your binaries and directories, which comes in handy when you need to hunt them down. As with the config file name, make it something meaningful to *you*. No blanks are allowed.

Other Edits:

  1. Look for any locations marked EDIT and make changes as needed.
  2. Look for paths and adjust if needed (example: your compiler is in /opt/bin but the config file uses /usr/bin).
  3. Look for any commands in the config file, and verify that they will not cause surprises.

    Warning: SPEC CPU config files can execute arbitrary shell commands.
    Read a config file before using it.
    Don't be root. Don't run as Administrator. Turn privileges off.

Open a terminal window (Unix) or cmd window (Microsoft Windows) if you have not already done so.

Set paths: Use a path command from the table below. On Unix systems, determine whether you are using a C-compatible-shell (such as csh, tcsh) or a Bourne-compatible shell (such as sh, bash, ksh, zsh).

System shell Example Instructions
Microsoft
Windows
cmd.exe
C:\> f: 
F:\> cd diego\cpu2017
F:\diego\cpu2017\> shrc
Edit the file shrc.bat before using it, as explained in the Windows Install Guide. If you have done so, cd to your top directory and use:
shrc.bat
Unix C-shell
compatible
% cd /home/subhash/cpu2017
% source cshrc
cd to the directory where you installed SPEC CPU 2017 and say:
source cshrc
Bourne
compatible
$ cd /home/subhash/cpu2017
$ source shrc

cd to the directory where you installed SPEC CPU 2017 and try:
source shrc
If your shell is sufficiently old that it responds source: not found then try:

 . ./shrc     <--that's dot-space-dot-slash-shrc

Check disk space: Verify your free disk space (Recommendations). On Unix, use df and on Windows notice the last line on any dir command.

Ready to run: You're ready to give it a try. Enter runcpu --config=name followed by a list of benchmarks or suites (see table above). Examples:

runcpu --config=eniac.cfg    --action=build 519.lbm_r
runcpu --config=colossus.cfg --threads=16   628.pop2_s
runcpu --config=z3.cfg       --copies=64    fprate 

The first example compiles the benchmark named 519.lbm_r. The second runs the SPECspeed benchmark 628.pop2_s using 16 OpenMP threads. The third runs 64 copies of all the SPECrate 2017 Floating Point benchmarks. The Install Guide chapter on "Testing Your Installation" has suggestions that start small and build up (Unix, Windows).

Example Install: This example presumes that your name is Walter, your compiler is GCC, your operating system is Linux, and your hardware is x86.

$ sudo mount -t iso9660 -o ro,exec,loop cpu2017.iso /mnt
$ cd /mnt
$ ./install.sh                                       # Specify destination - for example, /home/walter/cpu2017
$ cd /home/walter/cpu2017/
$ source shrc
$ cd config
$ cp Example-gcc-linux-x86.cfg walter-try1.cfg       # Pick one matching *your* system!
$ vi walter-try1.cfg                                 # Customize paths and other items marked EDIT in the example
$ runcpu --config=walter-try1 SPECspeed2017_int_base

SPEC CPU®2017 Quick Start: Copyright © 2017-2019 Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC®)